Los Hermosas Coffee Co-op
Colombia Las Hermosas™ is the result of a mutually beneficial partnership between Amenity Services’ coffee roaster and the community of Libano, in the lush Tolima region of Colombia. Las Hermosas™ is a limited-supply coffee named in honor of a nearby National Park that has played a key role in preserving Colombia’s biodiversity.
The initiative started with a search for a consistent source for the finest Colombian coffee. We have found that source with the 32 family farms in the highlands around the village of Libano.
These farmers benefit from the ideal climate, soil and elevation of their area, while taking great pride in their careful cultivation, harvesting and processing techniques. The result is a coffee that embodies everything that connoisseurs look for in a Colombian bean: very strong aroma, medium body and a fresh, slightly sweet quality.
In addition to paying a fair price for this coffee, funds help this co-op to develop the infrastructure they need to compete with larger corporate farms. The first project involved donating materials for the construction of parabolic drying beds for each family's farm. These beds allow farms to evenly dry their harvested coffee beans more uniformly for consistent quality.
The next project will be the construction of a cupping laboratory for coffee analysis. The testing equipment in this lab will help these independent farmers to remain self-sufficient, maintain their quality and continue to earn a premium price for their product.
This project has been developed with the support of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. This organization is entirely owned and controlled by Colombia’s coffee farmers (cafeteros) of whom there are over 500,000.
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